When You Don't Know Where to Turn / A Self-Diagnosing Guide to Counseling and Therapy

by Steven J. Bartlett

13
GROUP THERAPY
Especially well-suited to people who are
outer-directed but lonely, who want to
develop their interpersonal skills,
and who would like to learn about
themselves from the perceptions of others.

Group therapy is ancient. For as long as men have gathered together to share their experiences, thoughts, and feelings and to give one another comfort, group therapy has existed. As an approach to modern psychotherapy, however, it was in its infancy fifty years ago. No single great mind stands behind group therapy; it has been and continues to be innovative, flexible, and free from ties to any particular orthodox school of thought.

Clients who are attracted to group therapy and who often benefit from group experience tend to have these characteristics:

* They are passive in their interactions with others. They are more comfortable being told what to do than facing the need to decide for themselves.

* They are often lonely or socially isolated. Individual therapy, with its one-to-one relationship between therapist and client, does not encourage some clients enough for them to feel like members of humanity. They tend to feel sorry for themselves while in individual therapy or to judge themselves harshly for their need for help. Being with other clients in a group situation answers their needs better.

* They are outer-directed people: what others think of them is crucial to how they think about themselves. Inner-directed individuals are likely to feel more interested in and comfortable with individual therapy.

For people who are relatively passive, lonely, yet outer-directed, group therapy has some distinct advantages:

* It gives them a place within a group of people—they are no longer alone.

* It gives them opportunities to express themselves freely, confront other people, and say things that they otherwise might not be able to express, thanks to the close and confidential environment of the group.

* They can hear how a variety of other people perceive them. They are not limited to the observations, ideas, and recommendations of a single therapist.